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Cheesy Kale Chips and The Truth About Kale (Paleo/Dairy-Free/Nut-Free)

Months ago a friend of mine posted this article, “The Dark Side of Kale” and I panicked. I was devastated before I even read the article (I tend to jump to conclusions). It turns out that too many raw cruciferous vegetables can lead to hypothyroidism (to sum it up). Kale is at the top of that cruciferous list. Their first recommendation? Cook your kale. I let out a sigh of relief, I could still make my baked kale chips and feel so wholesome about it. I wasn’t sure I could live without kale chips, one of my favorite quick go-to lunch sides. Truth is: kale is a nutritional powerhouse, packing more than 100% of your daily recommendation for Vitamins A and C, as well as protein, magnesium, iron, calcium and B6!

If you need another reason to cook your kale, here’s some information on why you shouldn’t be juicing it. While occasional juicing can be healthy, daily juicing and as a meal replacement might not be as healthy as you think. You can read more in the link above…bottom line #1 – juicing can give you as much sugar as a candy bar and bottom line #2 – we were designed to chew our food!

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

2. Chop the kale into chip size pieces. I usually include the stem until about halfway down, when it starts to get thick.

3. If you have an olive oil mister, spread the kale out on the baking sheet and mist it with olive oil. If not, throw the kale into a bowl and dress it very lightly with olive oil (you don’t want soggy chips). Add garlic, sea salt, and pepper to taste. If you are using nutritional yeast (this makes them “cheesy”) sprinkle evenly over the kale.

4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. The tricky thing about kale is that they go from crispy to brown really fast. I look for the edge chips browning. After 15 minutes (or if you have a hot oven maybe starting at 10), check the kale every 1-2 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.